Controversial Bishop Assigned to Pittsburgh
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Bishop Donald W. Wuerl, a center of controversy since Pope John Paul II sent him to Seattle to bring Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen into line with Vatican views, was named by the Pope on Friday as bishop of Pittsburgh.
Wuerl, 47, succeeds Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua, who was installed Thursday as the new archbishop of Philadelphia.
Wuerl had been without an appointment since May 26 when his appointment and mandate as auxiliary to Hunthausen ended.
Wuerl raised ire among liberal Catholics and American bishops when the Pope sent him to Seattle. Conservatives there had pressed for Hunthausen’s removal because of his anti-nuclear activities and perceived permissiveness on such issues as divorce, liturgical practice and ministry to homosexuals.
Hunthausen had been stripped temporarily of many ecclesiastical powers while Wuerl was there.
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